Party pooper Cele gets it right

Predictably, the trolls were out in force on social media when news emerged of a raid, fronted by Police Minister Bheki Cele, on an illegal nightclub in Sandton in the early hours of yesterday.

To some, the minister was being his vindictive self, wanting to be a party pooper teetotaller and deprive people of their freedom to booze.

It’s easy to see how people would think that, because, throughout the coronavirus crisis, our “cat in the hat” has been the star of many scripted photo-opportunities, sniffing out those breaking the lockdown regulations.

This time, though, he was correct – on a number of levels. The nightclub – Blackdoor – should not have been open.

Even under the Level 1 restrictions, nightclubs are prohibited from operating.

This is because they are normally crowded, which makes social distancing impossible and, because there is heavy consumption of alcohol, inhibitions (and care of virus safety) is the first thing to be dropped.

The minister discovered exactly that during the raid, when the people were packed like sardines into the club, not social distancing and not wearing masks.

That is the ideal combination of circumstances for a “super spreader” incident, where large numbers of people can be infected at one place.

Such an incident occurred recently at a nightclub in Cape Town, where people, including matric students, were crammed in and the booze was flowing.

No matter what you think of how the government has handled this pandemic – or whether you erroneously believe the restrictions are about “controlling” citizens – you cannot deny the dangers of “super spreader” events.

While those infected are of partying – read younger – age, those they come into contact with later, could be older or vulnerable … and could die from Covid-19 complications.

This is a serious health crisis and we have to take it seriously.

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